The Children’s Movement of Florida is a statewide organization pushing for positive change in Tallahassee. Our headquarters is in Miami, and we have Advisory Boards and supportive presence across the state. Our goal is to connect local voices to one another, amplify their call for greater state support, and bridge the local concerns to a statewide conversation.
Chair Cindy Arenberg Seltzer serves as the first president/CEO of the Children’s Services Council of Broward County. In that role, she has carefully guided the development of the organization, which was created by the voters of Broward County in September 2000, and reauthorized by the voters in 2014.
Co-chair Josie Bacallao is President & CEO of Hispanic Unity of Florida (HUF). Prior to HUF, Josie was Vice President/Marketing Director for the Sun-Sentinel Company and worked for The Miami Herald/el Nuevo Herald as their VP/Marketing for more than 25 years.
The Collier Board of Advisors held their inaugural meeting on May 23. The Movement participates in Future Ready Collier, an organization doing great work to spread the message locally.
The Treasure Coast Board of Advisors includes representatives from St. Lucie, Martin, and Indian River counties and has been active since The Movement’s founding.
Chair Glenton Gilzean Jr. is the president and CEO of the Urban League of Central Florida. He has served on the Pinellas County School Board and is a trustee for Florida A&M University. He believes that education is primary to the success of all children.
Chair Sky Beard serves as the executive director of the Early Learning Coalition of Brevard. Sky brings years of experience working in the early learning sector to the board and provides invaluable expertise to its members.
The inaugural meeting of the Greater Tampa Board of Advisors occurred on May 31st and was well attended. The Board plans on tackling issues in the Tampa Bay area and building a strong local coalition for Tampa Bay’s children.
Chair Dug Jones is the Associate Vice President for economic development at Santa Fe College, where he oversees the Center for Innovation & Economic Development (CIED), which includes Continuing Education & Corporate Training, Community Education, and the Entrepreneur Incubator.
You can make a difference! Throughout the state, we have outreach coordinators working with Floridians like you to spread the message of the importance of the early years and to make real impacts in local communities. If you want to get involved today, check out the opportunities we have below.
Learn about the work we do in Tallahassee to push the needle forward on the issues that matter to us.
Learn more about our partner, La Fuerza de Familias Latinas, and become a part of our learning community for Spanish-speaking parents and caregivers!
Explore this documentary and podcast series focusing on the impact that nurturing, responsive parenting has on brain development.
From Florida Phoenix: “Investing in kindergarten readiness is a down payment for our K-12 system and for the health and resilience of our communities. Twenty years on, we’ll get higher earners, more innovative employees and more thoughtful citizens.” Read the full article here. View more articles here.
From NBA: “People in early childhood programs with their base credentials specifically focused on infant and toddler work, nobody else was doing that work in the community and the Magic stepped up and funded that for us. It has been a phenomenal partnership and to be recognized in this way for the work our organization… Continue Reading Social Justice Game Changer: Karen Willis
From Florida Politics: “Children who participate in quality early learning programs are 50% less likely to need special education, 50% less likely to become teen parents, and 70% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime.” Read the full article here. View more articles here.